Slow Cooker Garlic & Herb Guinea Fowl with Rustic Vegetables

There’s nothing better than coming home after a busy Sunday out with the family to a warm, comforting meal waiting for you. This Slow Cooker Garlic & Herb Guinea Fowl is the perfect fuss-free dish—simply prepare it in the morning, set the slow cooker, and let it work its magic while you enjoy your day.

Guinea fowl is becoming increasingly popular and is now widely available in supermarkets. With a flavour that’s richer and slightly gamier than chicken, it makes a fantastic alternative for a hearty, home-cooked meal.

Tender, flavourful guinea fowl is infused with a delicious mix of garlic, lemon, and herbs, sitting on a bed of rustic potatoes, carrots, and celery. As it slow cooks, the juices from the bird and vegetables create a rich, natural broth that can easily be thickened into a simple homemade gravy—perfect for drizzling over your meal.

With minimal effort and maximum flavour, this dish is ideal for a stress-free, home-cooked Sunday dinner. Just serve, carve, and enjoy—no last-minute rushing, just a hearty meal ready to warm you up when you walk through the door! 🍽️✨

Ingredients

1 whole guinea fowl

Herb Mix

3 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 juice of 1 lemon
pinch maldon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano

Vegetables

4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
3 large carrots,  cut into chunks
1 celery stalk,  cut into chunks
1 small onion, roughly chopped

3 whole garlic cloves

1 tbsp cornflour

water

Optional

Fresh parsley, chopped

Lemon wedges

Method

Prepare the Herb Mix
In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, thyme, parsley and oregano.

Prepare the Guinea Fowl

Pat the guinea fowl dry with kitchen paper.
Gently loosen the skin over the breast using your fingers or a spoon.
Spread the herb mixture under the skin, ensuring an even distribution.

Prepare the Vegetables

Place the potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic cloves and onion at the bottom of the slow cooker.

Assemble in the Slow Cooker

Place the prepared guinea fowl on top of the vegetables.
Spoon the rest of the Herb Mix over the guinea fowl.

Guinea Fowl in Slow Cooker at the start of cooking

Cook

Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the guinea fowl is cooked through (internal temperature should reach 75°C/165°F).

Carefully remove the guinea fowl and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.

How to Make a Simple Gravy from the Cooking Juices

Strain the Juices

Once the guinea fowl is cooked, carefully remove it from the slow cooker and set it aside to rest.
Strain the juices into a small saucepan, removing any vegetable bits for a smoother gravy.

Thicken with Cornflour (Cornstarch) Slurry

In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) with 2 tbsp cold water until smooth.
Bring the strained juices to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
Gradually whisk in the cornflour slurry, stirring continuously until the gravy thickens (this usually takes 2–3 minutes).

Enhance the Flavour (Optional)

Add a knob of butter for a glossy finish.
Stir in a splash of lemon juice to brighten the flavours.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve

Pour the gravy over your guinea fowl and vegetables, or serve on the side in a jug.

Garnish with fresh parsley and extra lemon wedges if desired.

Enjoy your flavourful, fall-apart slow-cooked guinea fowl! 🍽️😊

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Greek Turkey with lemon potatoes - slow cooker recipe

An easy Sunday lunch or dinner, freeing up your time to spend with the family.

If you are trying to work out how to balance cooking from scratch with family life, then this is a really easy recipe that doesn't take long to prepare, and then the slow cooker looks after the rest. You can leave this unattended without any worries, returning to a hot meal.

Cheaper cuts of meat make really easy meals, but they need to cook slowly and at a lower temperature, so they will take more time. You can make the following recipe in a normal oven, but it also is really simple in a slow cooker. Slow cookers save on energy costs too.

I love my slow cooker for this. I set it to high and the timer for 5 hours before I start browning the turkey joint, put the ingredients into the pot and then put the turkey on the top, pop on the lid and your meal cooks itself. No extra water/stock is needed, but remember not to remove the lid during cooking as the steam evaporates and returns to the food to help the cooking through condensation on the lid.

There are many different types of slow cookers, but I have the Crockpot below and love it. It comes into its own at this time of year as it will take a whole chicken, large gammon joint, ox cheek, joint of brisket, as well as stews and for making stock.

Ingredients

Turkey Thigh Joint
3 tbsps olive oil
2 large brown onions, sliced thickly
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks
1 tbsp dried oregano
Juice from 1 lemon
sea salt

Method

Switch on the slow cooker and set it to high (if you have a timer, set it to 5 hours).

Put a frying pan on medium heat and then add 2 tbsps of the olive oil; carefully place the turkey joint into the frying pan, skin-side down, to start to brown. When golden brown, turn over the turkey joint to brown the base.

While the turkey is browning, put the sliced onions and potato chunks into the slow cooker with the other 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle over the oregano, a pinch of sea salt and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and spread across the base of the slow cooker.

When the turkey joint has browned, carefully transfer it onto the top of the onions and potatoes in the slow cooker, pour over any fat remaining in the frying pan.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and leave untouched.

You do not need to add any liquid to the cooker, it will cook in it's own juices. The lid must remain on the pot until at least 4 hours, as the heat would be lost. 

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can use a large roasting tray, add 1/2 pint hot water and cover with foil at Gas 4/180C/350F - check after 3 hours, check that the pan isn't dry (you may need to add a small amount of water so you have some gravy. Remove foil for last 30 minutes.

I served with some green beans, but also goes well with a greek salad in hotter weather.

Turkey Thigh Joint
This is available from Tesco. It is around £3.50 and will easily serve 4 people

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McChiggis - The most amazing roast chicken stuffed with haggis

Roast chicken stuffed with haggis

We discovered McChiggis in Scotland, ready prepared in the chilled cabinet in a supermarket in Fort William, and have fallen in love with this. The haggis infuses the chicken with the most amazing aroma and flavour.

Ingredients

1 fresh free-range chicken
1 haggis (I use gluten-free McSween haggis)
1 onion sliced into thick rings
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
salt

Method

Put the sliced onion in the bottom of a deep roasting tin.

Stuff the chicken with the haggis. If there is any left over, place in the pan under the chicken. Weigh the chicken when stuffed. Place on top of the onions.

Rub the olive oil over the chicken then season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Place on the middle shelf in a hot oven Gas 5/190 C and roast for 20 mins per 500g/1lb plus 20 mins. Check chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer or sharp knife where the leg joins the breast, the juices should be clear.

Serve with tatties and neeps and lashings of gravy.

Tip: If you are after gluten-free Haggis, I've found it available in some Waitrose stores.

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An easy turkey bolognese recipe

I use turkey mince to make a great bolognese sauce. You can use the finished sauce to make lasagne or serve it with spaghetti and parmesan cheese.

In the tips section, there are some flavour variations.

Ingredients (serves 4)
For the bolognese
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pack turkey thigh mince
1 carrot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic crushed
1/4 nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 pint milk
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 beef stock pot (trust me, it improves the flavour)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 tin water
Salt and pepper

Method 

1. In a large pan, sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil over a gentle heat until the onion is translucent. 
2. Increase the heat and add the turkey mince, fry until the turkey has started to brown, stir regularly. 
3. Add the carrots, nutmeg, garlic, tomato puree, milk and salt and pepper, stir well and cook until the liquid has evaporated, stir regularly.  
4. Add the stockpot, tomatoes and water, stir well, bring to a boil and then turn down to the lowest simmer (the bolognese should just blow the odd bubble) for 30-60 minutes stirring occasionally. The longer you cook it the more "mealy" the turkey will become, like a traditional ragu sauce.

You can add more water if you need it during step 4.

Serve with spaghetti and freshly grated parmesan. For a dinner party, you may wish to serve some garlic bread and a side salad.

Flavour variations

Oregano version - you can also change the flavour by adding either 1 tsp dried oregano with the onions in step 1.

Basil and tomato - add either 1 tsp dried basil at step 4 with the tinned tomatoes. If using fresh basil, add 1 tablespoon finely shredded basil instead of the dried basil.

Mushroom - you can also add 1/2 punnet of chestnut mushrooms that have been sliced when you add the tinned tomatoes in step 4.

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Moussaka

A delicious and easy-to-make dinner using beef or lamb mince. Substitute gluten-free flour and lactose-free milk for dietary needs.

You can also use turkey mince for this dish, just add 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp soy sauce to boost the flavour.

Ingredients:

1 aubergine, sliced into 1cm slices

Olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 lb/500 g mince beef or lamb

1 tablespoon flour

1 beef stock cube

pinch cinnamon

Salt and pepper

1 tin tomatoes, chopped

1 pint milk

25g plain flour

25g butter

2 egg yolks

Method

Heat a frying pan and add enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan. Add the aubergine, don't panic it will soak up all the oil, but persevere and fry until golden brown, turn over and the oil will start to release as the other side browns. It is important that you fry off the aubergine until it has a golden brown colour on both sides. Remove the aubergine to a plate.

Fry the onion until soft, add the mince, continue to fry until browned. Add the flour, stir and fry until all the meat is coated. I add the stock cube, either crumble or melt into the mince, add about 1/2 cup of hot water until the meat is moistened. Drain the juice from the tinned tomatoes and add to mince, fry for a couple of minutes, season and add cinnamon.

Pour the mince mixture into the bottom of a lasagne dish.

Arrange tomatoes over the mince.

Arrange the aubergine over the tomatoes.

Put the milk, flour and butter into a pan and stir over a medium heat with a whisk. Continue stirring until the sauce is thickened. Cooke for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the sauce from the heat.

Separate the 2 eggs and add to the sauce, whisking in until thorough mixed. Keep the whites for some meringues, you can freeze them.
Pour sauce over the aubergine.

Bake in the oven gas 4 for 45 minutes until golden brown.

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Super simple paella

I’ve always used my traditional paella recipe, starting with making a sofrito, but this needs fresh tomatoes. A couple of weeks ago, I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes, but we still fancied a paella so I used tomato purée instead with the chicken flavour soup mix as stock and it tastes amazing.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/kosher/osem-chicken-soup-400g

Ingredients (serves 3)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 chorizo, chopped

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Large pinch saffron

2 large breasts chicken or pack chicken thighs

3 handfuls of paella rice (1 handful per person)

1 heaped dessert spoon chicken flavour soup powder

2 tbsp tomato purée

500ml boiling water + additional

Prawns (optional)

Peas (optional)

Fresh parsley, chopped

Lemon but into wedges

Method

In a large frying pan or sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium heat, gently fry the onion until soft. Add the chorizo and fry until it starts to release the oils. Add the chicken pieces and fry until starting to brown. Sprinkle over the paprika and saffron and rice, mix well.

In a jug mix the soup powder into the boiling water and whisk in the tomato purée, pour this over the rice mix, add additional boiling water until chicken is just covered, stir well, then turn to low simmer.

Keep an eye on pan and turn chicken after 10 minutes. Cook for another 10 minutes, add peas and prawns and make sure you stir gently to stop it catching on bottom. If using thighs, check by inserting sharp knife through to bone and seeing if cooked (you shouldn’t see any pink/blood if cooked).

Leave cooking until liquid has evaporated. When chicken is cooked, check if rice is cooked by tasting, you may need to add more water if rice isn’t cooked. It normally takes about 30 mins in total.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with a wedge of lemon on each plate.

When I use the soup mix, I don’t need to add any extra salt, if you substitute normal chicken stock, you may need additional seasoning.

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Turkey and mushroom supreme - an easy way to use up cooked turkey or chicken

Left Over turkey/chicken

You've roasted the turkey for Christmas or perhaps you have the remains of the chicken from your Sunday roast, what can you do with it? Now I adore curry, but unfortunately, my hubby can't eat an Indian style curry, so instead, I make my Thai curry. If there is too much leftover turkey at Christmas though you don't want to eat curry every day, so I like to make my turkey and mushroom supreme as an option.

This is a very simple dish to make but has a couple of options, you can either serve with plain rice or pop some puff pastry into the oven and make a deconstructed turkey and mushroom pie instead.

I've discovered Osem chicken soup mix makes the best stock, plus it's vegan too. I now use it in all of my dishes where I need stock. It's a powder that you can mix with hot water and add straight to your dish, don't add additional salt until the end though when you taste as there is a high salt content. My tip is to add 1 tsp to 125ml hot water for this dish.

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil

1 onion, chopped

25g butter

25g flour (I use gluten-free) - use plain or self-raising, no difference in the end result

125ml chicken stock (see tip above)

125ml milk

sliced mushrooms

leftover cooked turkey or chicken

salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method

In a medium pan, gently heat the olive oil and butter (the olive oil will prevent the butter from burning) and add the onion, fry over medium heat until the onion has softened. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring continuously. Gradually add the stock stirring continuously to help stop any lumps forming, then add the milk gradually, keep stirring. You can remove the pan from the heat as you add the liquid, then return to heat to cook. You can add a little more milk if the sauce is too thick.

Let the sauce cook for a couple of minutes, keep stirring.

Add the sliced mushrooms and cooked turkey/chicken. Continue to cook gently for 5 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and the meat is piping hot. Season to taste.

Serve with plain rice and sprinkle over the fresh parsley to serve.

Optional extra - add a small tin of drained sweetcorn when you add the mushrooms.

If using puff pastry to make a deconstructed pie, take a roll of puff pastry, cut the sheet into the number of people you are serving (4) works well, put them on a baking sheet and brush with milk. Pop them in a hot oven (check packet instructions), bake until golden brown. These can then be served on top of the supreme when plating your meal.

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Turkey chilli

Our easy Turkey Chilli recipe.

When we dropped red meat from our diet, one of the dishes we thought we would miss the most was Chilli con Carne, but through experimentation, we have created a great Turkey chilli and prefer this over a normal chilli, plus it's really easy to make. This is a great low-fat, heart-healthy meal.

Adding beans to the chilli extends the dish, we love black beans, kidney beans and also cannellini beans. It's a way of changing the dish. It also means you have leftovers for another day. Great on the top of a jacket potato or with some tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Sometimes I will add a chopped green or red pepper when I'm frying the onions. You could also add 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 chopped fresh chilli instead.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 white or red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 level teaspoon cayenne pepper (this is medium spice)

1 teaspoon of mild smoked paprika

Turkey thigh mince
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 Knorr beef stock pot 

1 tsp Tamari soy sauce
optional tin of black beans/kidney beans

optional 1 green/red pepper chopped

salt and pepper

Method

Over medium heat, sweat the onion in the olive oil until soft, add a small amount of water to the pan before adding the spices, this stops them burning. Gently fry off the onion and spices until the water has evaporated, keep stirring. If you are going to add the green pepper, add it now and fry 1 minute.

Add the turkey mince and fry off until browned.
Add the tin of tomatoes and a beef stockpot, you can also add a tin of black or kidney beans (don't drain them). If you didn't add the beans, then add half a can of water (wash out the rest of the tinned tomatoes). Stir in the Tamari (this gives a deeper flavour).

Cook gently for about 25 minutes, check the seasoning.

If you are using this in taco shells or with tortillas, cook down a little more, so that it is firm.

Serve with rice.

We also like some salsa and guacamole with ours. A pot of chopped fresh chillies, so that you can sprinkle over as much heat as you want. 

If you aren't worried about the fat content, some grated cheddar and sour cream is a perfect topping.

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Guacamole

This is a great side dish to Chilli con Carne or our Turkey chilli and also with tortillas. It's a dip in it's own right, so perfect for a snack.

Add as much chilli as you are comfortable with.

We make a variation of this called Guacasalsa, which means we make the Tomato salsa and then add chopped avocado to it, all in together.

Ingredients

1 avocado

1/2 small onion (finely diced)

1/2 green chilli (finely diced)

1 tomato (finely chopped)

Juice from 1/2 lime

Salt & Pepper

Method

Mash the avocado, squeeze over the lime juice and mix, this prevents the avocado from going brown. Then add the other ingredients and stir. 

Season to taste

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Salsa

This is a very simple Tomato salsa

This is great with my Turkey chilli or a Chilli con Carne and rice, or on the side when serving with tortillas. I also love serving this with my southern fried chicken. Add as much chilli as you are comfortable with, this is a mild salsa. I tend to make this, serve it to those that like it mild, then mix in more chilli and serve to those that like it hotter.

Ingredients

3 Tomatoes (finely chopped)

1/2 small red onion (finely diced)

1/2 green chilli (finely diced)

Juice from 1/2 lime

Salt & Pepper

Method

Mix together and serve, season to taste.

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Fennel and Lemon Risotto

Fennel and Lemon Risotto is a treat either for lunch or as an accompaniment to dinner.

A Riverford organic vegetable box is a great way to increase the variety of vegetables you eat, stopping you getting into a rut. This week I received 2 bulbs of fennel. 

Now here's the quandary, I don't like aniseed or liquorice, but actually like the flavour of fennel and tarragon when it's very mild. 

So what were my choices? There is the classic fennel and orange salad, Delia's roasted red peppers with fennel (which are lush hot or cold and my husband's favourite) but I didn't have any peppers; a layered potato and fennel gratin or something different!

Jamie Oliver has a great video about fennel, explaining the nutrients too. I love to see buddy just eating the slices raw and chewing the fronds (bubblegum style).

I decided to get creative and make a fennel and lemon risotto and was very pleased with the results. The flavour was very subtle, creamy and was great with some turkey burgers.

I still have another bulb of fennel left to use.

Ingredients (serves 4 as an accompaniment)

1 onion, finely chopped (check out my tutorial on chopping an onion with minimal tears)

1 bulb of fennel

1 tbsp olive oil

25g unsalted butter

1/2 packet risotto rice

1 Knorr chicken stock pot (you could use vegetable stock)

1 large lemon

25g grated parmesan

25g unsalted butter (to add at the end)

salt and pepper

Method

Scrub the lemon under some hot water to remove any wax or product and leave to dry.

Now to prepare the fennel. I trimmed off the top of the fennel, the stalks were a bit tougher. I then cut the fennel in half, then into quarters and remove the core if necessary. I then chopped the fennel into small piece, slicing down the length, then across.

In a small saucepan, pop in the stockpot and 500 ml boiling water. Dissolve the stockpot and then leave over low heat, just keeping it hot. You always add boiling stock to a risotto.

Take a large saucepan, add the olive oil and 25g of butter, melt over medium heat, then add the chopped onion and fennel and fry gently for about 5 minutes until the onion is going translucent.

Add the rice and stir, frying for another minute, the rice should start to squeak. If you haven't made risotto before Gennaro has a great video teaching you the basics.

Start adding the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring and cooking until the risotto rice is just cooked, top up the stock pan if you need more water. Add the grated zest of the lemon, stir well, then season with salt and pepper.

Remove from the heat and add the parmesan and butter and stir again. Cover and leave for 3 minutes.

Serve and grate over a little more lemon zest.

Let me know if you try this, or have any other great ideas for using fennel. 

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Turkey meatballs in tomato and basil sauce

As we eat mainly turkey, chicken and fish, I'm always trying to think of different ways to use a pack of turkey mince.
It's easy to become stuck in a rut and keep making turkey chilli, so tonight I was determined to make a different evening meal. This is quick, simple and easy to make.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

For the tomato sauce:-

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 white onion, finely chopped

Pinch salt

1 clove garlic, finely chopped 

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tin chopped tomatoes 

1 pot (70g) tomato purée (cirio do perfect sized portions)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh basil

For the meatballs:-
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 white onion, finely chopped

Pinch salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

500g turkey thigh mince

Pack of linguini or spaghetti (check measures on side of the packet and cook amount for the appropriate number of people.)

Method

Start by making the meatballs

Using a medium bowl, add all of the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix all the ingredients together well, using a wooden spoon or your hand whichever you prefer.

Prepare a tray for your meatballs to sit on ready to fry, place a sheet of parchment paper on the tray to make them easier to transfer.

Shape the meatballs in your hands, golf ball-sized is ideal, they can be popped in the fridge if you want to make them in advance.

Make the tomato sauce

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and fry the onions and pinch of salt gently until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and fry gently for another 2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, pepper, sugar and balsamic vinegar and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, add the fresh basil. 

You can also use this tomato sauce as a base for a pizza or with pasta. 

Combining the meatballs with sauce

Heat a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the meatballs until browned on all sides. Be careful when you turn them, or they could break up, the trick is to leave them for about 1 minute before trying to turn them.
When they have browned all over, add the tomato sauce and enough water to cover the meatballs, stir carefully. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Turning occasionally.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.

Serve with fresh basil and parmesan to taste.

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Courgette, Caper and Chilli Pasta

When we need a quick lunch, pasta is always our "go to". It was time to raid the fridge for veggie, then time for me to get creative.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1/2 pack of gluten free macaroni

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 courgette, cut lengthwise in half, then each piece again lengthwise. Chop across into 1 cm chunks

1 clove garlic finely chopped

2 large tomatoes roughly chopped

2 tsp capers

2 pinches ancho chilli flakes

Zest 1/2 lemon

Water

4 stems fresh basil

Salt and pepper

Method

Put a large pot of water onto boil and add salt. Add pasta when boiling and cook according to the packet. Make the sauce whilst the pasta is cooking.

In a sauté pan over a medium heat, fry the onion until soft, add the courgette and garlic, fry for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped tomatoes, capers, lemon zest and chilli flakes, stir and lower heat to a simmer, stir occasionally. Remove the leaves from the basil, chop the stems and add the stems to the sauté pan and stir. Season with salt and pepper. You can add a splash of water if needed, if the pan seems dry.

Carefully cut the basil leaves into a rough large chop, add to the sauce, stir and turn off heat.

Check pasta is cooked, drain, reserving some of the cooking liquor. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir the pasta into the sauce, turn back on heat to allow the pasta to absorb the flavours, add a little of the cooking liquor to help the sauce get absorbed into the pasta.

Serve with a sprig of basil.

You can also sprinkle over some fresh Parmesan to serve. I also added a couple of drops of chilli oil over mine as I like the heat.

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Chicken lasagne

If you are gluten free and don't eat red meat, it's difficult to find a lasagne that you can eat. We also eat lots of veg, so I decided it was time to get a decent lasagne dish, some gluten free lasagne sheets and bone and skinless chicken thighs. I made a large lasagne as the spare portions can either be frozen or taken to work for lunch.
This uses my "all-in-one" sauce method, so you will need a balloon whisk for this.
Ingredients (serves 6)
For the bolognese
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pack chicken thighs, skinless and boneless - minced in a food processor
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/4 nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 pint milk
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 beef stock pot (trust me, it improves the flavour)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 tin water
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 large chestnut mushrooms, halved and finely sliced.
For the white sauce
1 oz lacto free butter
1 oz plain gluten free flour
1 pint lacto free milk
Salt and pepper
Additional ingredients
12 sheets gluten free lasagne
1 tsp salt
1 large courgette, finely sliced lengthways
1/2 bag baby spinach leaves  (washed)
1 oz freshly grated parmesan

Method 
Bolognese
In a large pan, sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil over a gentle heat until the onion is translucent. Increase the heat and add the minced chicken, fry until all chicken has gone white, stir regularly. Add the carrots, nutmeg, milk and salt and pepper, cook for 1 minute,  then add the tomato puree, continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated.  Add the stockpot, oregano, tomatoes and the water, stir well, bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Sauce
Take one medium pan and put all the sauce ingredients in the pan together. Put the pan over a gently heat and then keep stirring using a balloon whisk until the sauce is smooth and has thickened. Season to taste.
Pasta (only if using gluten free lasagne sheets).
Fill a large pan with water, bring to the boil and add the salt. Pop in the lasagne sheets and cook until al-dente. (I've tried using the sheets without pre-cooking and it doesn't work for the gluten free as well). If using normal quick cook lasagne sheets, you can omit this stage.
Build the lasagne
Take a lasagne dish and rub a little olive oil over the surface to prevent sticking.
Take a couple of large spoonfuls of the mince and spread them over the bottom of the dish, then drizzle over some of the white sauce, then a layer of lasagne sheets, next a layer of mince, then a handful of spinach, followed by a layer of courgette, plus another drizzle of white sauce.
Keep building the layers. You want to end with some mince and white sauce over the final layer of pasta. If you think you are running out of the white sauce, you can always add some more milk and thin it down towards the end.
Sprinkle over the parmesan cheese and then pop into a moderately hot oven Gas 5 (Electric 190C) for 40 minutes. It should be bubbly and golden on the top.
Serve with salad.

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Chicken Stew with dumplings

It was a little cold this morning, waking to 2 degrees C, with a slight touch of frost. After a busy staff development day today, we all needed something comforting to eat. The temperature was already dropping when we left college, I wanted to cook something really simple for dinner that was full of nutrients, but would give us a foodie hug.
I still had carrots and leeks left from the organic box, so wanted to use those up, there were 6 chicken thigh fillets in the fridge, so decided to make a very easy chicken stew.

Chicken Stew

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 1/2 leeks, sliced
4 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 sweet potato, cut into chunks
2 1/2 pints water
1 chicken stock pot
6 chicken thighs
1 handful of paella rice
couple sprigs of fresh thyme
freshly ground black pepper
salt
1 cup frozen peas
cornflour and water

Method

Add the oil, onion, leeks and carrots to the pan, gently sweat the vegetables until the onion and leeks begin to soften, add the garlic and sweet potato and continue to sweat for another minute.
Add the water and stock pot to the pan, pop in the chicken and rice, throw in the thyme with some pepper and a touch of salt (add more later after cooking if needed).
Cover and cook gently for 1 hour.
Add the frozen peas bring the stew back up to the boil and add the dumplings, cover and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Season to taste.

Depending on how you like your stew, if you like it thin, then serve as it is.

If you prefer a thicker stew, serve the dumplings, then thicken the remaining stew. Mix a couple of teaspoonfuls of cornflour with a little water, add gradually to stew and cook until thick. Add as much cornflour as necessary to get the thickness you prefer. Serve.

I wanted to find a gluten free recipe for dumplings, didn't have any suet, so went for a hunt online and discovered the following recipe. I added some mixed herbs to the flour and they were scrummy. I wet my hands before taking spoonfuls and use the damp hands to make the dumplings into soft balls.

Dumplings

150g Rice flour or any gf flour
2 tea spoons of baking powder
2 large eggs
a little water
optional a few dried herbs.

Mix to a dough and put spoonfulls into boiling stew and simmer for around 10 mins.

These are suitable for vegetarians and are lactose free and easy peasy

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Mushroom risotto

Served with the pancetta wrapped chicken

A mushroom risotto is really easy and makes a great accompaniment to a main meal.

I love to use a few porcini mushrooms in mine, it brings out the flavour of the chestnut mushrooms. If you want to make this vegetarian, then use a vegetarian stock.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

25 g of butter

1 onion, chopped

250g chestnut mushrooms

1 handful of dried porcini mushrooms

250g  Arborio risotto rice

1 pint chicken stock (I use a chicken stock pot)

Method

Dried porcini mushrooms

Pour 1/4 pint hot water over the porcini mushrooms in a jug, leave whilst you start cooking the risotto.

Stock simmering in pan

In a small pan, add the water and stock pot and bring to the boil. Turn heat down until barely simmering. It's important to keep the stock very hot when adding to the pan. This is the secret of a good risotto.

Gently heat the olive oil and half of the butter in a saucepan, (the olive oil stops the butter from burning). Add the onion and gently fry until softened.

The onions and chopped mushrooms gently cooking

Chop 1/3rd of the mushrooms into 1cm cubes, add to the onion and continue to cook until soft. Turn the heat to low.

Add the risotto rice to the pan and keep stirring for about 1 minute until the rice is well mixed in, it should start to squeak a little. The Italians say it "screams like Aida".

Add a couple of ladleful's of the stock and keep stirring, always add stock 2 ladleful's at a time and wait until the pan screams.

Remove the porcini from the soaking water (don't throw it away). Chop the porcini and add to the risotto.

Use the stock when you next need to add more, don't use the bottom of the water as their may be grit in the soaking water.

Chop the rest of the mushrooms in half and then finely slice them. After half the stock has been used, add the mushrooms to the pan.

Keep adding the stock and stirring regularly. Check the rice is cooked, it should be creamy and just al dente. You may need to add a splash more boiling water.

When it's cooked, remove from heat and stir in the rest of the butter.

Serve.

I served this with the chicken stuffed with chorizo and wrapped in pancetta.

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Half-term Soup

It must be half-term.... 

The weather is awful, I'm feeling shattered after a very busy first half of the Autumn term, no energy and I've got that horrid feeling that a bug has decided to join me.
For some reason, I normally crave home made soup when I'm feeling like this, loaded with nutrients, easy to eat and makes you feel all warm and snug.
I must have had an inkling as I ordered a Riverford bumper veg box this week, it arrived Thursday, so I've got masses of amazing fresh organic vegetables to work with.
The box contents this week are:-

Leeks
Potatoes
Onions
Carrots
Parsnips
Butternut squash
Cauliflower
Savoy cabbage
Cime di rapa
Butterhead lettuce
Portobello mushrooms
Cherry tomatoes

I wanted to make a soup with minimal fuss and little washing up (no blender or food processor needed). I don't mind preparing and chopping ingredients so it was time to pick the veg and see what resulted.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
1/2 leek, the green end, carefully washed and shredded
1 handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped (life's too short to skin them)
1 handful of risotto rice
1 beef stock pot
1 pt cold water
couple of small bunches of cime di rapa, shred including the stalks, keep the stalk section separated from the rest.
Sprig fresh thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
handful of fresh basil, shredded

Method

In a large pan, heat the oil then gently fry the onions and carrots until the onion is soft. Add the leeks and fry for another minute, stirring regularly. Add the stock pot and water to the pan, bring to the boil. Add the rice, tomatoes, 1/2 the fresh basil and the fresh thyme, turn down to a simmer.
Cook for approximately 20 minutes and add the bottom of the cime di rapa (the part with the stalks) to the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add more water if necessary, you want some liquid to make this a soup not a pile of veg.
Check the rice is cooked.
Add the final cime di rapa and cook for another couple of minutes until wilted.
Add pepper to taste, remove the sprig of thyme.
Turn off heat and add the freshly shredded basil and stir.
Serve and enjoy.

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Turkey mince with squash & porcini

What's for dinner?

As we only eat chicken, turkey and fish plus lots of vegetables, it's easy to keep cooking the same dishes. Tonight was time for me to create a new recipe, something different that would satisfy our hungry tums. Hubby had bought turkey mince earlier, we'd eaten chilli Thursday night, had turkey meatballs and bolognese sauce earlier in the week, so time to see what I could find that would go with the mince. Jacket potatoes are perfect for an October evening, there was a butternut squash on the side, I've always got tinned tomatoes, dried porcini and fresh herbs, so invention time, here we come.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
500g turkey mince
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 beef stock pot
1 handful dried porcini, soaked in 1/2 cup hot water for 20 minutes
pepper

Method

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and gently fry the onion until soft, increase heat to medium, add the garlic and mince and fry until the mince is browned. Add the squash and continue to fry for another minute. Add the tinned tomatoes and fresh thyme. Pop in the stock pot and cook gently, stirring occasionally.
Remove the porcini from the soaking water, chop into small pieces and add to the mince. Carefully add the soaking water (don't add the final bit as there may be grit in the bottom).
Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, season with a couple of twists of freshly ground black pepper.
You shouldn't need to add any further salt.

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Marrow and Date Chutney

Hot vinegar - wow it clears the sinuses

Oh 'tis the season of mellow fruitfulness and I always get the preserving bug at this time of year. Every time I've walked into the kitchen this week, half a marrow stares at me, egging me to cook it. I know that there are another 4 growing in the garden, so I'd better do something useful with it.
Options, stuff it, but that's just one meal, or turn it into a chutney, that can be enjoyed for the rest of the year.
After researching on the web, I've taken the best bits, plus the ingredients I have in the cupboard and created my own recipe. Providing you have the correct proportions of vinegar to sugar, and cook it enough, the chutney will work.

Ingredients

1.25kg marrow, cut into 1cm dice
2 red tomatoes, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 cooking apple, chopped
250g chopped dates
500ml organic cider vinegar
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground ginger
200g brown sugar
2 tbsp Maldon salt
ground black pepper

Method

Put all of the vegetables, dates and vinegar into a preserving pan, bring to the boil and then turn to a simmer and let it bubble gently for 30 minutes until the marrow has softened. Add the sugar, spices, salt and pepper and then stir until sugar dissolves, bubble gently until thick. It is it the right consistency when you can see the base of the pan for a few seconds when drawing a spoon through.
Transfer into sterilized jars, seal, label. Leave for a month to mature (if you can resist). The chutney should keep for 9 months.

There is nothing like the smell of chutney cooking, it is very pungent, clears the sinuses, but is well worth it.

My family can smell the chutney cooking before they get near the front door, but it's the indicator that it must be autumn.

This makes great Christmas presents.

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Paella

If you want a special dinner, then this makes a great dish. There are quite a few ingredients, but I've discovered some quick cheats when shopping to make this easier.

Ingredients

Sofritto:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 chorizo chopped (can buy ready chopped pack)
1 large pinch of saffron
1 teaspoon paprika
1 pack of chicken pieces
1/2 packet of paella rice
1 chicken stock pot made up to 1 pint with boiling water
1 pack of frozen mixed shellfish (M&S contains, prawns, squid and scallops defrosted)
Frozen peas
1 tablespoon flat leaved parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon cut into wedges.

Method

In a non-stick frying pan, gently fry the sofritto together until the olive oil starts to separate from the mix, this can take 10 minutes.
Move the sofritto to the side of the pan and add the chorizo to the other side of the pan, let this fry off and release it's wonderful oils, add the paprika and chicken pieces, cook for 5 minutes stirring the chorizo side of the pan separately from the sofritto, cook until you have browned all the chicken. Mix everything in the pan together. Now sprinkle over the rice and stir in well to the mixture. Pour over the stock and add enough water to cover the chicken with liquid. Stir well and reduce to a simmer.
Stir gently occasionally, cook for 20 minutes. If the pan is drying out, you may need to add more boiling water.
Check the rice, you want it to be just soft and the chicken is cooked. Add the seafood and the frozen peas, stir well and continue to cook for another 5 minutes (add liquid if necessary), the prawns should be pink when fully cooked.
Sprinkle over the parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

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